


Family Begins With Hello

by RandomReader13



Series: Dark Angels and Demon Brats [10]
Category: Batman - All Media Types, Red Hood: Lost Days
Genre: Adopted Children, Adopted Sibling Relationship, Baby Damian Wayne, Catatonic Jason Todd, Family Fluff, Found Family, Gen, Good Parent Talia al Ghul, I have too many works and not enough titles, Talia is a good mom, The Meeting tm, Tigermom Talia, idk titles guys, implied child abuse bc League of Assassins, ok so he's a toddler, pre-lazarus pit, same difference
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-04
Updated: 2020-01-04
Packaged: 2021-02-27 03:48:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,769
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22120555
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RandomReader13/pseuds/RandomReader13
Summary: Damian meets Jason for the first time.
Relationships: Jason Todd & Damian Wayne, Talia al Ghul & Damian Wayne, Talia al Ghul & Jason Todd
Series: Dark Angels and Demon Brats [10]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1214049
Comments: 19
Kudos: 431





	Family Begins With Hello

**Author's Note:**

> The moment we've all been waiting for! (or I have at least lol)

Talia stood in the doorway, spine straight and expression carefully blank. The convoy carrying supplies, informants, and something infinitely more precious pulled into the courtyard, and it took every ounce of will she possessed to remain in position beside her father. While most of the vehicles peeled off towards the garages, the kitchen, or the armory, one pulled to a stop in front of them. The door opened and Talia’s throat tightened. A Shadow climbed out and stood at attention. Talia’s heart was pounding in her ears. A small figure climbed out of the truck, as graceful as a four-year-old could be, and Ra’s glanced at her sharply as her breath hitched in her throat.

“The dust,” Talia murmured apologetically, eyes locked on the boy who was walking towards her, flanked on either side by a Shadow. He had grown much since the last time she had been allowed to see him, and her stomach twisted furiously at the thought.

“Grandfather,” Damian said, his high-pitched voice solemn. “Mother.”

Talia opened her mouth to respond, but Ra’s beat her to it. “Damian. Welcome home. Your teachers have been sending regular updates. I expect a full demonstration this evening.”

“Yes, Grandfather.” Damian sent her a furtive glance. Perhaps he thought he was being subtle.

Her father noticed, of course, and the smile he sent them chilled Talia’s blood. “I will see you at dinner, then. You and your mother have much to discuss.” He nodded at them and they all bowed deeply. Talia only looked up when the swish of his robes disappeared down the hall. She dismissed the Shadows with a flick of her fingers and walked into the building. The desert heat dulled as soon as they passed through the thick walls, the cool shadows swallowing them, and Talia allowed her shoulders to relax. She forced her eyes to remain ahead, even though every part of her screamed to turn to Damian and never look away. Her jaw gradually tightened as they made their way through the compound. By the time they made it to her quarters, a headache was throbbing behind her ears.

Talia took a deep breath, eyes closed as she drew desperately on her last reserves of control. She turned to Damian. He was staring up at her, eyes filled with nervous hope. She smiled, feeling her walls melting away, and fell to her knees. Damian took two running steps into her outstretched arms and she held him close. Desperation filled her and she ran her hands over his back, through his hair, down his arms. She wanted to memorize every inch of him before it was too late, before her father’s next whim sent him away for months, before the limbs lengthened, the hair grew coarser, the baby fat dropped from his frame, and those eyes hardened like she knew her own had. She buried her face in his hair and breathed him in, knowing in an abstract way that she was shaking but unable to stop herself.

“Ya habibi,” she breathed, and she could feel his little arms squeezing, matching desperation in the way he buried his face in her chest.

She did not know how long they remained locked in that position, how long she whispered meaningless words while her shoulder grew damp, but by the time she pulled away she felt like a rag that had been wrung dry. She cupped Damian’s cheeks, thumbs absently rubbing away the tear tracks, and stared into his eyes. “I have missed you, my son.”

“And I you,  'umi,” he said, and she pulled him close again, feeling like her chest had been cracked open.

She could have remained there forever but Damian was still a child, and he began to squirm after a few more minutes. She laughed a little and pulled away. “You remember how I told you I would have a surprise for you when you next came home?”

Damian perked up. “Yes.”

The crack in her chest healed a little at the excitement in his voice, the unrestrained wriggle of his body as he clambered to his feet. She stood and took his hand, unwilling to release him for even a moment. “Come, I will show you.”

“Is it a good surprise?” Damian asked, trotting to keep up with his little legs.

Talia hadn’t smiled this much in many months. “Yes, it is a very good surprise.”

The walk was short. Her father had been resistant at first, but she had argued that she had to be close by to monitor the situation and he had relented. Talia knocked on the door, as she always did despite the occupant's lack of concern, and opened it. Damian held her hand tighter, looking around the dark room curiously. Azadeh, the only guard she would trust with this position, nodded to her silently.

“Any unusual activity?” Talia asked.

“None, Mistress.”

Damian tugged at her hand. “Mother? I thought we were going to the surprise?”

“The surprise is here, Damian.” She led him out of the entrance and into the room proper. A dark figure was sitting cross-legged on the floor, rocking back and forth slightly and staring at the wall. Damian stopped in his tracks but she tugged him forward, sinking gracefully to the ground. The rocking paused, before starting again, faster now. Talia’s voice was soothing as she said, “Damian, this is Jason.” The rocking slowed at the sound of her voice and his name. “He is your brother.”

Damian’s gaze snapped from Jason to her. “What?”

Talia smiled sadly at the confusion in his voice. “Yes,  Habibi.”

“Why have I not met him before?” Now he sounded hurt.

“He lived with your father. He was hurt very badly and so came to live here. We hope that our doctors can help him.”

“Is that why he is...like that?”

“Just so,  Habibi. His mind is hurt, and we must be very gentle with him.” She smiled at him. “We must protect him until such a time as he can do so himself.”

Damian looked at Jason for a moment, thinking. She could see the pride in being trusted to protect another in the way his shoulders squared. “Hello, Jason,” he ventured. Jason didn’t stop rocking, though his hand spasmed a little in his lap. Damian looked at her helplessly.

“He does not speak, but he can hear you. Did you notice how his hand moved? That means he is listening.” Talia rested a hand on Damian’s shoulder, tugging him into her side. “He may not look at you for a while, until he gets used to you. He has only recently begun to look in my direction.”

As if on cue, Jason’s head tilted up, eyes hovering on Talia’s necklace, a simple gold chain with a pendant that Damian had given her at their last meeting. It was only for an instant, but Talia felt warmth flood her.

“Like that?” Damian asked.

“Yes, just like that.”

Damian pressed into her side a bit harder and said in a hushed voice, “His eyes look dead.”

“He is _not_ dead,” she snapped, guilt flooding her as both boys flinched. “I am sorry,” she said, resuming her calm voice and stroking Damian’s hair. “I should not have snapped. He was...very badly hurt so any mention of him dying is,” she paused, “sensitive. But you could not have known, you did nothing wrong.”

Damian’s tightly-wound muscles loosened. “You have not touched him,” he observed after a few moments.

“No. He dislikes contact that he does not initiate.” Damian didn’t need to see his brother thrashing and screaming, the only noise he had made since he arrived. “If you need to lead him somewhere or touch him for any other reason you must make sure he is aware of your actions first.” Talia rose to one knee, holding out her hand to Jason. She could see Damian from the corner of her eye, filing away the way she made sure her hand was in his sightline without sticking it in his face. “Jason,” she said, voice still calm but firmer. Jason’s hand twitched again and his eyes flicked to the side. “We are going to go to the kitchen for some cake.” Damian perked up beside her. Jason didn’t move. “Would you like to join us?”

For a long moment, nothing happened. Jason stared through her blankly, still rocking gently. Talia didn’t move. Damian shifted, his discomfort palpable. Jason blinked slowly, then reached out and took Talia’s hand. She smiled and slowly stood, allowing Jason to sort out his limbs in his own time. “It takes some time for him to make decisions,” she said. “Imagine...deep mud in his head. While you and I can think quickly and decide, he has to struggle through the mud every step of the way, from understanding what we say to considering all of his options and then determining how to convey his choice.” She raised an eyebrow meaningfully, smile preventing Damian from taking her next words too harshly: “A good exercise in patience, no?”

“Yes, Mother,” Damian said. He tilted his head back to look at Jason, though not as far as he should have had to. “How old is he?”

“Fifteen.”

Damian narrowed his eyes consideringly. “He is very small.”

“Yes.” Talia gently ran a hand through Jason’s hair and he shifted a tiny increment closer to her. His head barely came up to her shoulder. “He did not receive enough food as a child.”

Damian frowned. “But I thought he was with Father.”

Talia paused, unsure how much to reveal. Damian would not understand her attachment if she explained Jason was adopted, he would likely reject Jason as his brother out of hand. Ra’s conditioning would come first in the boy’s mind, even before her. No, better to let him get attached before explaining further. Like she did. “Your brother was kept from your father for years when he was very small.”

Damian nodded understandingly. “For training? Like me?”

“No, for other reasons. I will explain more another time.”

“Yes, Mother.”

Jason was on his feet now, still clutching Talia’s hand, and she held the other out to Damian. “Shall we go? The cooks have been bustling for several days preparing for your return. I am sure there are many treats we can sample.”

Damian grinned up at her, and the expression took her breath away. “Yes, let us go!”

As they set off down the halls, one son squeezing her hand, the other chattering away, Talia felt content for the first time in almost five years.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much to everyone who kudos and comments!
> 
> [My Tumblr](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/theawkwardvirgin)


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